Conservative professionals might have dismissed as hubris Aaron Williams’ daring to open his own practice not long after graduating from physical-therapy school.

But 10years later, the CEO and owner of Orthopedic and Sport Rehab Physical Therapy knows that having the nerve to take the plunge was the right move.

Williams opened the first of what is now five OSR locations Valleywide in Anthem in 2002, the year he earned his degree from Northern Arizona University.

Hailing from a family of business owners and entrepreneurs, Williams dreamed of opening his own practice and took the opportunity sooner than later.

“I probably was a little naive as to how this would work. But it was a good thing because I jumped into it instead of being scared to death,” Williams recalled. “I’m glad I did it, though. Others always say they want to start their own practice. But they wait and then they never get to do it.”

Williams admitted, however, there was a learning curve in being a business owner. He had one employee but never had interviewed job candidates before. No one had marketing experience and he didn’t know how to get the word out to get people through the doors. During the first week of business, there were a total of three visits from two patients, Williams said.

But steadily, word of mouth did its job. Its location positioned OSR near other doctors’ offices, which helped.

Williams opened OSR with two business partners and his physical-therapist wife, Kori, whom he was dating at the time. The couple married in 2006, and they split from the business partners. Kori co-owns the practice.

In 2007, business was booming so much so that the couple considered expanding. They started looking for locations and, in 2008, decided to take another leap. They opened a facility in Peoria and later partnered with Mountainside Fitness as tenants in three of their gyms in north Phoenix, Gilbert and, most recently, Scottsdale.

Altogether, OSR grew from one to five locations over the span of four years — four years marked by the recession and lagging economy that swallowed many small businesses.

The determination that sparked Williams’ choosing to start his own practice right out of school was the fuel that that fed this decision despite the financial uncertainty around him.

“There was some trepidation. But at the same time, we knew we wanted to focus on growing,” Williams said.

While he and Kori kept their minds on growth, they noticed that other nervous business owners were doing the opposite. This proved advantageous.

“During a normal time in a decent economy, everyone thinks of growing. But (in a) down (economy), many will contract. But that meant there was more room for people who did want to grow because a lot of people weren’t going to expand,” Williams said.

In OSR’s first year, the single location had 2,500 total patient visits, Williams said. For 2012, he projects his five locations will see a total of 35,000 visits. In early December, OSR experienced an all-time high of 702 visits in one week. Williams said his business has grown every quarter since it opened.

Regardless of how busy his practice gets, Williams and his employees remain dedicated to treating patients as individuals and never as numbers. He credited the business’ growth to this philosophy.

“I wanted to own my own business to give more personalized care. It has a small-town feel without getting corporate,” he said. “We talk about numbers, but those are patients and patient lives. We want to be able to influence lives with the positive work we do.”

Susan Handelman has been a patient at OSR’s Anthem center three times over the past 10years for various sports-related injuries and surgeries involving her shoulder, back and knee. She had never been to a physical therapist before and wasn’t sure what to expect when she first walked through the doors in 2002.

But she has been pleased with the results each time and also likes the one-on-one service she has received.

“Aaron seemed to be sincerely concerned about each person. He was very interested in me and vested in everyone,” said Handelman, who lives in Anthem and was one of OSR’s first patients. “I don’t like to be treated like a number, and they were very personable.”

In addition to physical-therapy services and rehab treatments, OSR’s community involvement includes being the official provider of rehab services for Boulder Creek High School and host of a free Bumps and Bruises clinic on Saturdays, where young athletes can receive quick evaluations of how their bodies are doing after a week on the field or court.

Giving warm and welcoming care in an industry that can be cold has also been vital, Williams said. In a time when reimbursements are lower and co-pays are higher, providing services that people deserve remains paramount, despite the financial bottom line.

“We’ve seen people for nothing … even when it’s not easy to do,” Williams said. “It’s a pay-it-forward kind of thing. It’s just about doing the right thing.”

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